Democrats don't have enough power to shape climate change policy. They can win the midterm elections if they embrace the shale oil and gas boom and their role in it.

Millions of Americans are rightly urging immediate, serious action to address climate change on this Earth Day weekend. Democratic candidates should carry a winning version of this message right into the midterm elections: They must denounce the climate nihilism of the Trump administration, and highlight the stunning clean energy revolution Democratic policies have done much to create.

But these candidates should be smart about how they respond to climate change provocations from President Trump, Environmental Protection Agency administrator Scott Pruitt and others. In the swing states and districts they need to win back Congress, Democrats must also vocally support the shale natural gas boom that has been overwhelmingly good for American consumers, workers and the climate.

When voters are presented with an agenda that emphasizes a transitional role for domestic gas and oil along with renewable energy as part of climate protection, they will support Democrats over Trump’s climate denial and coal-dust memories.

For starters, Democrats should point out that it was Barack Obama, not Trump or George W. Bush, who presided over America’s largest ever oil and gas boom. U.S. natural gas productionalone rose by 21% under Obama, creating millions of jobs and reducing electricity bills for consumers. Crucially, the shale gas boom was also the key to lowering U.S. carbon dioxide emissions by 12% between 2005 and 2017, as electric utilities themselves chose cleaner and ultimately cheaper natural gas over more polluting coal.

The oil boom under Obama was equally remarkable, with U.S. output growing by 72%. Analysts believe new American oil supply was the major factor in lowering global oil prices, which in turn has saved American motorists billions of dollars at the pump and cut oil imports by nearly60% by Obama's final State of the Union address.

Democrats have been strangely reluctant to take credit for the shale boom, even though it was hugely facilitated by federal funding and research they supported, and produced advanced seismology, horizontal drilling and other innovations that also had Democratic supporters. Nor have Democrats adequately challenged patently false oil industry and Republican propaganda that they have been against reasonable oil and gas production.

Instead, legitimate concerns over climate change have radicalized much of the Democratic Party's energy rhetoric and politics. Increasingly vocal oil and gas prohibitionists, sometimes termed the “leave it in the ground” wing, have gained huge new influence over the party's messaging, identity, and sometimes even policy.

Obama generally pursued effective climate and energy approaches, but he had some stumbles. One defining moment was when Obama continued to pursue cap and trade carbon taxing policies even in the teeth of the Great Recession. Another was when he rejected the Keystone XL pipeline. He should have approved it, noting its negligible climate impacts, and used the moment to highlight how his more pragmatic energy and climate policies were benefiting most voters economically and beginning to protect the climate.

These missteps allowed Republicans to paint Democrats as far-left elitists, less concerned with providing affordable energy and good jobs than with raising energy taxes and cutting greenhouse gas emissions. This has contributed mightily to the stereotype of Democrats as out of touch with the values of working-class Americans — hurting the Democratic brand far beyond energy and climate.

Hillary Clinton fell into this trap. She frequently discussed climate change and clean energy on the campaign trail, but missed a golden opportunity to embrace the shale oil and gas boom in key swing states — and expose as a fraud Trump’s absurd contention that coal was the future.

The wholehearted embrace of shale gas and hydraulic fracturing (or fracking) by Democrat Conor Lamb in Pennsylvania — who won in a House district Trump carried by 20 points — is suggestive of the symbolic power energy still has for voters. Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper is one of many other highly successful Democrats in “purple” states who have embraced both responsible shale production and renewable energy.

Climate change is a real and present danger to the American people, and fighting it must be a national priority. Democrats, not Republicans, have serious plans to do so. The irony is that even as climate impacts become more apparent to average Americans and extremely expensive to taxpayers, Democrats must also demonstrate to voters that they understand the economic importance of the shale oil and gas boom.

Only then can Democrats gain the power they need to deal with the climate problem that poses an existential threat to our nation, and the world.

Paul Bledsoe is an energy fellow at the Progressive Policy Institute, and a lecturer at American University’s Center for Environmental Policy. He served on the White House Climate Change Task Force under President Clinton. Follow him on Twitter: @paulbledsoe